The College of National Services

The College of National Services oversees Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs at Norwich through the departments of of Army Military Science, Aerospace Studies and Naval Science. Each department has its own chair and staff, and is run independently according to the needs and administration of the service branch.

The top administrator of the college is a dean, who is rotated annually from each of the service branches according to seniority.

ROTC at Norwich

Participation in ROTC, including military labs and physical training, is an integral part of the Corps leadership experience at Norwich. Cadets must enroll in Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps ROTC to maintain membership in the Corps of Cadets, and complete six semesters of ROTC courses; two apiece at the 100, 200, and 300 levels. All ROTC participants, with the exception of nursing students, must be in the Corps.

Students transferring into the Corps of Cadets are required to pass a course in ROTC for each semester in the Corps.

Mission

The ROTC programs exist to commission well-educated officers into the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in sufficient numbers to meet the requirements of these services. The general objectives of the programs are to provide understanding of the principles of military, aerospace and naval science; to develop comprehension of associated professional knowledge; to build attitudes of integrity, honor, and individual responsibility; and to encourage appreciation of national security requirements. These objectives support the mission of Norwich University and the Corps of Cadets and augment the training plan necessary to prepare cadets for service to the nations as soldiers and citizens.

The ROTC requirement is both an obligation and an extraordinary opportunity. Cadets will study leadership, ethics, troop-leading skills and a broad array of military service-related courses.

Commissioning through ROTC

Cadets who participate in six semesters of ROTC are under no obligation to serve in the Armed Services. Those who wish to pursue a career as a commissioned officer compete for that opportunity by earning an ROTC scholarship or placement on a commissioning track. That is an individual pursuit; one that begins before or during enrollment at Norwich.

Cadets selected for a commission must complete a fourth year of ROTC and meet other requirements established by their chosen service.

Branch-specific ROTC information

Vision statement

To become the preeminent Army, Air Force, and Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs in the nation by providing unrivaled instruction, augmented with realistic hands-on training opportunities; all facilitated by a staff whose proven technical acumen and ethical underpinnings embody the very nature of military professionalism.

The quality of these ROTC units will enable the education of a diverse college population, representative of the republic that they serve, who are strategically and globally astute and capable of problem solving on the local, national, and international levels.